Uconn

Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma gets a pat on the shoulder as his players leave a news conference at the NCAA women's Final Four college basketball tournament Monday, April 7, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. Connecticut is scheduled to face Notre Dame in the championship game Tuesday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The women's basketball world has been talking about the possibility of an historic national championship matchup between undefeated UConn and Notre Dame teams since midseason. The Huskies wanted no part of the pursuit of perfection hype then, and still don't.

Today's title game between the No. 1-ranked Huskies (39-0) and the No. 2-ranked Irish (37-0) is the first ever in women's college basketball between two unbeaten teams, and it is also an opportunity for UConn to win a record-breaking ninth national championship.

The Huskies, however, said they don't want to get caught up thinking about establishing their place in history, because they don't want to be distracted from the very difficult task at hand.

"You are thinking one game," Stewart said. "One game, and that wins the national championship. But after the fact, if everything goes our way, we are going to recognize how big of a deal it really is, especially to have two teams go undefeated this far into the season. It shows a lot for both programs, and it is going to be a hard-fought game on Tuesday night."

The Huskies have won their games this season by an average of 35 points and haven't had a single team stay within 10 points of them. Yet, they are

See WOMEN, Page 8B

only seven-point favorites tonight because Notre Dame has been nearly as impressive. The Irish have won their games by an average of 25.6 points.

Notre Dame boasts a pair of All-America guards in senior Kayla McBride and sophomore Jewell Loyd, who averaged 36.2 points between them per game this season. Both McBride and freshman guard Lindsay Allen have averaged four assists per game with Allen having an impressively gaudy 5.8 assist/turnover ratio in the NCAA Tournament.

"I like the offensive stuff that they run, but I think it is more that their guards are just tough, and they are great one-on-one players," said UConn assistant coach Shea Ralph. "You definitely don't see it a whole lot with a team having two wings like that that complement each other really well. They have an edge to them, and they rebound the ball really well. I think we have to play great all around to beat them."

UConn counters with five All-America starters who all average in double-figure scoring. The Huskies are led by National Player of the Year Breanna Stewart, who is averaging 19.4 points and 8.1 rebounds with 118 assists and 108 blocks. Add in senior Stefanie Dolson, and the Huskies have a formidable post presence that could be a huge factor in tonight's game since Notre Dame lost starting center Natalie Achonwa to a knee injury.

Bria Hartley is also averaging 16.5 points, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis has come on strong of late — averaging 16.8 points in the NCAA Tournament — to provide great perimeter balance to the post game. Moriah Jefferson (188 assists, 10.2 points per game) runs the show very well and leads the Huskies' stellar defense with her harassing style and 104 steals.

It should be an epic battle regardless of the historic implications of the game.

"It is going to be a dogfight out there," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "Both of us want to win this national championship so bad. We are not really focusing on an undefeated season. We are just focused on winning the next game. It is exciting. It is the biggest stage in women's college basketball. I think every basketball player wants to be at this point at some point in their life so we want to make the most of it and not get distracted."

Adding to the intensity of the game is the dislike between the two teams and the fact that Notre Dame is one of the few teams with the confidence to genuinely believe it can beat UConn. Seven of the 11 losses for the UConn seniors, including three in overtime, have come to the Irish.

Each team's last loss came against the other. Notre Dame's last loss was to the Huskies in last year's national semifinals, opening the way for the Huskies to win their eighth national championship. UConn's last loss was to Notre Dame in last year's Big East Tournament championship game. The Huskies have won 45 games since then.

UConn is currently tied with Tennessee for the most championships in the women's game with eight. The Huskies can stand alone if seniors Hartley and Dolson can leave with a second straight championship. They could also earn a record fifth undefeated season.

"We are expected to win every game, and we expect ourselves to win every game," Stewart said. "I don't think we are chasing perfection right now. We want to take care of business (today)… I think that after the season is over, if we finish undefeated we will appreciate it more than we do right now."

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